More Soviet tanks

A quick look at some T-72's  received and given a quick coat of paint.  

 I finally decided this project (micro scale Cold War) will continue through the year.  One shipment every other month until my initial list of projected units is finished. Close to done, the BAOR and Soviets for the scenario we are using as a jump off for the rules.

 

I might do up some of the basing this Friday, due to lack of opponents. 

I think the AA assets will look etter dressed up.  Good ole' Zsu-23 and SA-9 launchers.

 

Updated later, when the bases look better.

 

A little more painting done

 Been a busy week...some doctor's appointments, a couple under the weather days (not related to the doctors visits) and some organizing around the yard slowed down the painting until Thursday evening. 

I open with my first few forays using  the Army painter quick paints.  Armed with only the basic set I hopefully chose my battles well. The first figure I painted using the quick paints was from the AD1666 collection,  one of the Local Mafia faction known as Anthony. These figures ( I bought the plastic versions) are slimmer than typical wargaming figures and surface detail is subtle. Brown for the boots, red for the jacket, dark gray for the hair. 

Pistols, scabbard , base treatment will complete Anthony. Lots of animation.

Also the first of the 'demon ' models, mostly in quick paints orange,  red  and flesh. Perhaps my choice of colors could have been different. 

Hmm, too much white...in the shot, not enough differentiation on the succubus. 

Next up some Austrian Fast Artillery,  limber and drivers. Basecoat in GW fast shade white, with yellow from a liquitex acrylics bottle. The horse started as a light bay from three step process. The horse collars are done with the quick paints leather. 

Two more steps to get the horse color correct.

Yes, the battery will sport matched pairs in the traces. 'Es tut mir Lied.'

I will complete the harness with army painter quick 'leather brown. The next photo when they are completed and based.

Faust, the demon and the last April game

 We had a short team, one of our regulars off to Virginia for the week, but Greg had finished Faust and Mephistocles and wanted to bolt them into a game of AD1666. 

Deciding on an Archenemy scenario, one that let the nefarious pair be fielded, as well as Anthony and Leo from the 'local mafia' faction. This allowed three newly painted and one of the dozen or so still unpainted characters to be fielded.  The locals had hidden the Urchin and needed to get him on a boat to safety . 

 

Faust had other ideas.  Here Leo the local takes up position attempting to foil Faust's plot.
 

The game a few turns later. Faust was sent a thug as a reinforcement. Leo attempts to hold both off. The Urchin has been discovered hiding by Anthony ( see right side, figure in red.)  The locals appear to be poised take the Urchin to safety. Then Faust springs Mephistocles.

The extra thug, sacrificed by Faust renders Leo the local unloaded and about to tussle with the evil man.

Right side of table showing the demon (in blue) facing off the Urchin and Anthony. The local thug, to the right of Anthony proved ineffective. Anthony went down under the demon blade, and the po' boy was demon lunch. Poor Anthony didn't get to use all his firepower, the Urchin was not able to run nor use the sling shot.

Hmm, the Cardinal  (the Archenemy) has a couple of victories at this point in time, the use of a demon certainly ups the ante significantly.  

According to the second wave kickstarter,  delivery of the mini's from the factory are going to be four to six months late. Good reason to make sure all the remaining figures are painted.  Since most figures left to paint are monsters or small factions built around monsters, there will be some lopsided scenarios in the near future. That will leave the 40 or so second wave figures to be done when they do arrive. 

Three and counting

 Three figures to  join the ranks of games coming up.

Loose Moose, Friar Pedro, Elise the witch.

While Friar and the Indian  Scout will blend into the Cap'ns  Silver Bayonet teams' Elise will probably be the face of a local whispering campaign  in the Waplan 5.

Pikeman's Lament Game -on a Saturday

 Well, since not everybody was coming Friday, Greg & I decided to shift day and locale for the start of some linked Pikeman's Lament games.

So about 10:30 we were in the Kensington store Tabletop Games.  We had tried the rules out in three games over two  match ups about a year and a half ago, or at least a truncated version.  This time around, both Greg and I were pleasantly surprised on the section about the officer leading the 'company.'

So we begin with the story of  Sygmunt, son of a Poznan merchant who invested in his son's future buying a commission as a lieutenant. Of course the new officer's first mission is a simple one....a recon of the area. Taking a column of pike, shot and a small cannon.

Greg's  intelligence heeded  word of the enemy, so his company was tasked to send the enemy packing.

 Sygmunt's left flank, The two pike units and a group of shot.  Enemy cavalry closing in has already lost due to the shot unit's accuracy.

Sygmunt said he would strike any enemy he found hard. If he succeeded, two honor points would be his.  Gregg's officer knew of his opponent's lowly origins and would confront him with challenge to duel.

Sygmunt's center and right.

Greg's right wing, after a commanded shot unit got wittled down.

Greg, with the sun to his back, making an attack n Sygmunt's right.

Center, two pike and a gun against Greg's center shot units.

Center after one of Greg's units leaves to, uh, check the stove back at camp.

As often happens, I get caught up in the to and fro, and forget to take photos.  Greg got down to four units with two in danger due to losses, was kickin' in the discretion part of valor.

Sygmunt gains 7 v.p., 5 in winning and two for achieving an honors award.

We will have to try this again, soon.

Warplan 5by5 maps how we use and some jargon.

 So a look at how you can use the Warplan maps. 

Here are the border reaches Daharra and the dual kingdom K & K. 17A and 11B are K&K.

These numbers identify a specific card in the system.  You can see 11A is substantially different from 11B.  Then the cards are all divided into 25 smaller squares.  Hence the reference 17A22 or 14B13 are for specific places. Unfortunate to create game specific  jargon, but there you have it.

Let us  focus on the actual border area.  17A 21 through 25 on top, 14B11  1 through 5 below.

I am going to concentrate on the K &K side of the border, but the technique is the same on any 5x5 map. 

The secret weapon of the Warplan 5x5 is the atlas. Each square is annotated with a short description of what is drawn. You use the awing and description to fully flesh out the table top.  

As  you can see, there are three roads that go from bottom to top of this map. At the table top level, you want five foot by five foot table to recreate the terrain,  So take for example 17A22. Looking up the atlas entry it says in 17A 22 the river ( that "runs deep" ) is crossed by a wooden bridge which will not support the heaviest of vehicles, that there is a cottage and there are some fences present in the square. 

Here is a hand drawn map of the table ......if just this one square is of concern, usually the case in smaller actions, suitable for a 6 by 4 foot table. I have added some detail based on the atlas notes.

Notice the scale for the table in the upper right corner. The map is setup with a grid for a 5 foot square table.

I wrote these notes in the key 'so that I would na' haf to remember ' (thanks, Dr. Jones, Senior.)

This is how we locate logistics, adventures and clashes in the campaign. Hope it helps in the upcoming posts.

Imagination campaign--Kaiserliche issues reactive Declaration.

 

The Council of State, which rules Kaiserlich until a new Emperor is selected, has reacted to the Declaration of War by Daharra by issuing a reactive Declaration of War. A copy is shown below.  

So, this may be a good time to set up what is going on to readers who are not in the local group.  The five countries represented by players ll at on their own.  S'Gottland, OrbaJoba, Daharra, Fuddland and Kaiserlich are all player controlled. Kaiserlich has an contiguous, semi-independent country of "Koniglich" similiar to the areas of Fuddland known as Poland and the Cossack Land.

Cue the hard to read map of the continent,

 

Ok, if you are still following, the theater of War will be the 4 border squares from the bottom light green and yellow .  Warplan 5x5 map here:

 The top two cards are Kaiserlich(left) and Koniglich. (right)

The border is the transition from 17A and 11B to 14B and 11A

Initial mobilization, troop placements and reports to follow. As well as some admin items for the game.

The remaining areas on the map-the Basque counties, Scandia*, the United Merchants*, Bayerne*, Brunswick*, Hess-Nassau*, and Hanover* are all 'NPC' countries run by the umpire using various rules and subterfuges.  The *'d countries are Electors, a relationship with Kaiserlich where they vote to approve new rulers and contribute units to the defense.

Since Daharra seeks to expand its territory, it has decided to invade Kaiserlich and grab land quickly.

 

 Picture from Royal Hanover archives, used by permission of the Elector.

Reportedly delivered by messenger to Daharra's government 15th April, 1802. Note the use of a red ink denoting an official declaration.